Brother's Forever
by purewriting
Summary: Stupid title, but this is a collection of seven One-shots for Dragneel Brother's Week!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First Drangeel Brother's Week One-Shot out of 7. This is going to be full of feels and I hope everyone reading this enjoys it as much as I did writing it.** **For the purpose of this story, I'm going to assume that Zeref and Natsu are 3 years apart in terms of age** **. Just to warn you, after Day 4, things are gonna get a bit darker if you read what the themes are for this week in the end of chapter author's note of Chapter 12 of my NaLu fanfic "Finding His Wings".**

 **Don't say I didn't warn you.**

 **But for now, it's just brotherly fluff ^-^**

 **It is my goal to have everyone smiling like idiots at their computers/laptops/phones. Even though I suck at short stories so these One-shots aren't going to be my best work ever.**

 **Enjoy my fluff :)**

* * *

Day 1\- Birth

...

Warm sunlight trickled through the summer green leaves onto the face of the seven-year-old boy sleeping peacefully under it. His charcoal black eyes cracked open in response to the warm presence on his skin. Sleepily, he sat up and slowly scanned the tree line. There were proud oak trees towering high above his head and the marble columns of his city's buildings peaking behind the trunks about 30 feet off from the edge of the forest.

The next thing he noted was that the forest was beginning to dim. The sun was dipping towards the horizon, which is why it had peaked through the leaves and woke him from his nap. How long had he been asleep? He had left for the forest just after lunch with Natsu...

Zeref's eyes shot wide open and his head whipped back and forth in search for the familiar head of pink hair that belonged to his younger brother. Alas, there was no sign of the four-year-old boy.

Judging from the angle the sun was at, he had about three to four hours before sundown. In comparison to the size of the forest that encircled Mildian -his home- it wasn't nearly enough time.

Zeref leapt to his feet, hastily straightened his outfit and sprinted through the trees shouting Natsu's name. Five minutes passed before the seven year old boy was out of breath and forced to stop.

"Where...is he?" he puffed to himself.

He swallowed hard again before standing up straight from his double-over.

"NATSU!" he shouted.

Zeref wasn't expecting to get a response. Especially a little head of cherry-blossom pink hair popping out of the bushes between two ancient maple trees.

"Yes Onii-chan?" he asked innocently.

Zeref let out a sigh of relief while Natsu clumsily forced his way through the thick brush, ending with a collection of tiny leaves caught in the folds of his clothes. Zeref straightened and looked disapprovingly at the younger boy.

"You shouldn't wander off Natsu. It's dangerous to be by yourself in these woods." he scolded.

Natsu stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. "I'm sorry."

And there was Natsu's trump card for getting out of trouble. The iconic puppy-dog pout. Zeref has never met anyone who could stay mad at Natsu when he pulled this move. And he was one of them. He could already feel his expression lightening.

He sighed. "Just don't do that again, okay Natsu?"

The cherry-haired child grinned widely."Okay, Onii-chan."

The two brothers walked out of the forest. Natsu was still his light-hearted, energetic self, charging five or more feet ahead of his older brother at a time. Zeref stayed aware of Natsu's position, but at the same time his mind set to work trying to piece together why Natsu had wandered off. Normally, he wouldn't do something like that. If he had found something he would have woken Zeref up and shown him, asking him what it was since he was the older and by default the wiser of the pair.

The black-haired boy shock his head slightly, dismissing the thoughts. This issue is something he'll keep in the back of his mind, but he doubted it would happen twice.

...

It happened twice. Natsu disappeared again while they were in the woods. The cherry-haired boy had eagerly suggested a game of hide-and-seek and nominated Zeref to be 'it'. Naturally, Zeref didn't see the "wolf in sheep's clothing". They played hide-and-seek in these woods all the time, but this time Zeref was having a harder time tracking Natsu down.

This was strange. Because Natsu was never able to keep himself in one place. He always had to be in motion, which made him almost unbeatable in tag but it worked in his disadvantage in hide-and-seek. Whenever Zeref was 'it', he found Natsu within a time frame of 5-10 minutes.

It's been almost an hour.

Zeref stopped and huffed in frustration. He needed to think logically about this, but then again Natsu was four and not the most logical person the seven-year-old knew. However his pattern of movements were always traceable to some extent no matter how haphazard they were. Zeref had already scoured all of Natsu's usual hiding spots so only one place seemed like a viable option.

The bushes between the ancient maple trees.

The bushes were huge and had obviously grown side-by-side and grown into very healthy bushes. Zeref had a tough time forcing his way through the leafy barrier but when he did, he was surprised to see a small footpath. Easily big enough for a four-year-old boy to squeeze through. Not so much for a seven-year-old boy however. Although he had a noticeably tougher time, Zeref made it through to a hidden stream that winded its way through the large cliff. The cliff-face was riddled with small caves.

Once again, easily big enough for someone Natsu's size to squeeze into.

Zeref checked through each cave. He was about to check one that would be big enough for him to get into if he crawled on his hands and knees. Surprisingly, this was where Natsu was hiding out. Natsu was huddled in the back of the cave with something considerably larger then him tucked carefully in the back and wrapped in several blankets that had previously gone missing from their house as of yesterday.

"So that's where all our spare blankets went." Zeref noted semi-jokingly.

Natsu jumped at the sound of Zeref's voice and hit his head on the low-ceiling. "Owww~ Onii-chan! What are you doing here?" he asked nervously.

"Natsu. What are you hiding?"

"N-Nothing."

Zeref scowled. "Natsu."

A staring match initiated until the four-year-old boy finally caved.

"It's an egg." he admitted, quietly.

"An egg?"

Natsu nodded sheepishly. "It fell out of one of the trees yesterday."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"...I wanted to take care of it myself. It needed someone to take care of it or it would freeze to death or get eaten by a Vulcan or something like that." Natsu continued, "The kids at the academy tell me I'm irresponsible and reckless and I relay too much on you for explaining things to me Onii-chan. I gonna prove them wrong. By hatching this egg."

Zeref's eyes drifted to the egg behind Natsu. It was roughly four feet tall and two and a half feet wide at the base. He couldn't see it very well in the poor lighting, but he could make out a milky white shell with some kind of dark pattern swirled on it. The massive egg was partially wrapped in blankets to keep it warm. Zeref noted that Natsu indeed knew something about hatching an egg.

He was half-tempted to ask the four-year-old to let him help, but seeing his determination he bit his tongue and smiled instead.

"How about we bring it home? You can take care of it easier there." Zeref suggested.

The pink-haired child immediately perked up, looking at Zeref hopefully. Natsu carefully maneuvered the precious cargo out of the small cave. Together the two brothers swaddled the large egg in the blankets. Since Natsu was so small compared to the egg, Zeref carried it back to the house and tucked it in the warmest corner of their room where Natsu would take care of it until it hatched.

XX-Time skip: 2 weeks-XX

Two weeks had past since Natsu and Zeref brought the strange egg home. When they told their parents about it, they were proud that Natsu wanted to take the responsibility of bringing something into the world and fully supported him. Zeref monitored the egg as much as he could, but Natsu was mainly in charge of tending to the egg.

Zeref was finishing up an essay for the academy when Natsu came crashing through the door. His expression was between excited and frightened.

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" he shouted.

Zeref put his quill down and faced the four-year-old. "What's wrong Natsu?"

"It's the egg! I thing it's hatching!"

He stood up so fast that his chair was knocked over. Immediately the four-year-old pinkette bolted out of the doorway, closely pursued by his seven-year-old brother, down the hallway to their shared room. Natsu beat Zeref to the room and when Zeref entered, the egg was indeed hatching. The blue and white egg was vibrating back and forth and cracks were slowly forming in the thick shell.

"What do we do Onii-chan?" Natsu asked, panicked.

He hesitated. "We wait for it to hatch."

The words had just left Zeref's mouth when the egg suddenly leapt into the air and shone a bright blue, so bright the two brothers had to cover their eyes. When the light faded, a light _pop_ echoed around the room and what was left was...

...

...

...

...a blue cat.

A blue cat with wings.

"A cat?" Zeref asked, shocked.

"Look Onii-chan! He's got wings!" Natsu beamed with excitement.

The little newborn kitten fluttered around the room for a moment before landing on Natsu's head, it's tiny white angel wings in a small flash.

"What should we call him?" Natsu asked.

The sleepy kitten released a small 'mew' that sounded like 'aye'. The strange blue cat was enough to make Zeref crack a smile.

"Oh! I know! How about 'Happy'?" the four-year-old suggested eagerly.

Zeref chuckled. "Happy it is."

* * *

 **A/N: First one-shot, DONE! I hope I got you all smiling like idiots at your screens :)**

 _ **Next chapter: Family**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: One-shot #2! Thank you to the three people who reviewed on my one-shots so far. It's a huge relief to me that my One-shots aren't as crappy as I think they are.**

 **Shout out to Ladyfire-Azula. Thanks for the review, sorry though, it isn't going to be rainbows and fluff 100% of the time. Especially chapter 5...*sobs*. BTW I really like your stories and how you portray Zeref as a huge dork in "The Book of Dragneel". I died laughing in Chapter 4 D Keep goin' you rock :)**

 **And I didn't forget you guys, anon and darkhuntressxir: Thank you SO SO SO much for the positive reviews. These shots worried me a lot. :)**

 **Anyway...**

 **HIGHSCHOOL AU! :)**

...

 _Day 2: Family_

...

The automated bell rang and the classroom erupted into chatter as students filed out two by two, each group chatting about their family's plans for Thanksgiving Break. Natsu, high school freshmen, however was uncharacteristically quiet as he shuffled out of the room. The pink-haired boy was halfway to the door when he was attacked from behind by a heavy tackle. The sudden weight was enough to knock him flat on his chest. However the weight quickly disappeared, accompanied by a short gasp and a "sorry".

"Lucy, you shouldn't tackle people like that. You could break their back with your heaviness." Natsu mocked, standing up.

"I am NOT heavy, you're just a wimp." she fired back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Wanna test that?" Natsu grinned evilly.

"No thanks. Leave the fights for Gray." she said quickly, "Anyway, are you okay Natsu? You don't seem like yourself."

Natsu sighed and continued walking, Lucy not far behind. "It's just my parents."

"What about them?" Lucy asked, getting curious.

"They...They're on another business trip." he admitted, dejectedly.

Lucy's brown eyes widened. "At this time of year?"

Natsu nodded grimly. "Yeah. And they won't be back until _after_ Thanksgiving break."

"That's too bad. I mean, Thanksgiving is all about family. And I know you still have your brother, but that'll still be lonely with just the two of you."

Natsu nodded. "I've gotta go. Sorry I can't come to the club today."

Lucy smiled gently. "See y'ah Natsu."

He smiled a bit wider and waved goodbye before starting the trek home since his older brother, Zeref, a certified genius and senior, had to do an important after school presentation. Lucy watched him leave and once his familiar pink hair was out of view, she turned on her heel and forced her way through the crowd to the club room. It was a big club, but consisted of mainly five or six core members. The club president, Laxus Dreyar, the club vice president and enforcer, Erza Scarlet, and the four other members Gray, Wendy, Natsu, and Lucy. Everyone else came and went as they pleased, but mostly it was just being loud, talking with each other and in general having a good time.

The club room was unusually quiet when Lucy came running through the door. Gray was sitting at his usual table, shirtless and tapping his foot impatiently. Erza was polishing her fencing sword across the table from Gray, Wendy was doing homework, and Laxus was sitting in the corner like a weirdo again.

Wendy was first to notice Lucy's entrance and looked up from her math work. "Good afternoon Lucy-chan."

"Afternoon Wendy." Lucy grinned, breathlessly.

"What's got you in such a hurry Lucy?" Erza asked.

"Y'ah seen flame-for-brains around? I wanna fight with him." Gray muttered impatiently.

Lucy caught her breath. "That's what I want to talk to you about."

...

Lucy walked into her apartment and her petite and excitable cousin, Mavis tackled her with a bone crushing hug.

"Lucy-chan! Welcome home!" Mavis cheered.

"Thanks Mavis. How are you enjoying Magnolia?" Lucy asked.

The pale blonde girl pulled back and smiled so widely Lucy was sure her face would split and nodded.

"Magnolia is such an exciting place, I'm so glad you let me stay here with you."

Lucy grinned and set her bag down on the table, sat in the chair and sighed. Mavis looked at her with concern.

"Is something wrong Lucy-chan?"

Lucy sighed again. "Not really. One of my friends and his brother don't have anyone to celebrate Thanksgiving with."

Mavis plopped herself in the chair next to Lucy and leaned her head in her hands.

"Well that just won't do." Mavis said.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know what to do."

Mavis was silent, tapping her chin thoughtfully until she stood up, slamming her hands on the table and emerald green eyes twinkling with excitement.

"I've got an idea!"

...

Zeref groaned in mild annoyance. All the AP and Honors classes were finally starting to take its toll with the three five-paragraph essays on the history of Crocus, magic theories and their connection to the soul, and the last five chapters of "The Key of the Starry Heavens". Sometimes, Zeref wished he didn't decide to take all these tough classes. Even if he was a certified genius, it still didn't make it any less taxing on his mind, doing all these classes.

Finally he was almost within reach of the safe-haven that was his home. Unfortunately, it was just him and Natsu since their parents were both out on business for the holiday. Most inopportune time for an emergency financial meeting. Thanksgiving was always a kind of sacred holiday in the Dragneel family ever since Natsu managed to pull out of a life-threatening case of pneumonia when he was three. It happened around the time of Thanksgiving, so it always resembled a very sacred time to them.

Especially Zeref since even if Natsu was still young, he was still his little brother and he cared about him deeply. Ever since that day, Thanksgiving was important to the Dragneel family but with it just being them this year, it didn't feel quite...right. It almost felt empty.

As Zeref opened the door he was met by...silence. Heavy silence. A quiet moment in the Dragneel household was a rare thing with an bundle of energy like Natsu around. Zeref briefly thought of the possibility that Natsu wasn't home yet, but was quickly dismissed when he walked into the kitchen to find the pink-haired teen in question slouching on the kitchen table with a spiral and textbook open underneath him and a pencil in his hand. Natsu barely even acknowledged his older brother's presence and muttered a quick "welcome home".

Zeref deposited his book-bag at the foot of the kitchen table and situated himself in the seat across from Natsu, who wasn't doing tonight's Algebra homework, but was mindlessly doodling random symbols in his math spiral instead.

"Still depressed?" Zeref asked.

Natsu grunted absently. "Why did mom and the old man have to leave _this_ time of year?"

He sighed quietly. "Yeah."

To be honest, Zeref didn't know _what_ to say to cheer up Natsu. But luckily he didn't have to answer when the phone rang. The caller ID was the Heartfillia residence which meant that Lucy was probably calling.

"It's Lucy." Zeref said, tossing the phone casually to Natsu.

The pink-haired boy caught it and accepted the call.

"Yo Lucy." he said, not sounding as enthusiastic as usual.

His onyx eyes widened slightly. "O-Oh. Sorry Mavis."

Zeref raised an eyebrow. Why was Lucy's cousin calling?

Mavis seemed to still be talking until Natsu put the phone down, signaling the brief conversation had ended.

"What did Mavis say, Natsu?"

"She said to come to the Fairy Tail tavern on Thanksgiving at 4pm."

"...Why?"

"She didn't say." Natsu sighed, leaning back in his chair, "Could we go? It'll be better then mopping around the house all day."

Zeref nodded silently in agreement. Admittedly, he was suspicious of what Mavis was planning but he was curious at the same time. And the opportunity to get out of the house on Thanksgiving and distract not only Natsu, but himself from their lack of family on this special holiday.

...Time Skip to Thanksgiving...

The Fairy Tail tavern was suspiciously quiet when the Dragneel Brothers approached the building. On a normal day, it was bustling and loud, but it could be possible that it's so empty because it's Thanksgiving and everyone's at home with their families. The two brothers swapped looks and pushed the large double doors open. The inside was momentarily dark, but then the lights turned on and blinded them. When their eyes adjusted, the tavern was full of people they know from school.

Mirajane, Elfman, Lisanna, Gray, Wendy, Jellal, Meredy, Juvia, Levy, Gajeel, Cana, Erza, heck. Even Laxus was there. And then there was Lucy and her cousin Mavis. Mavis may not go to their school, but they knew each other from the frequent visits they pay to the Heartfillia Residence. They both strode up to Natsu and Zeref with the biggest smiles on their faces.

"Surprise!" Lucy beamed.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Mavis chimed in.

"L-Lucy...what's this?" Natsu stuttered at a loss for words.

"Well, when you told me that it was just you and Zeref this year, I told Mavis." Lucy explained

"Since we both know how big Thanksgiving is in your family, Lucy and I organized a potluck so you both wouldn't spend it alone!" Mavis cheered.

"I-I don't know what to say." Zeref said, finally finding his voice.

"How about you both just come in! This food isn't going to eat itself." Mavis laughed.

"But I know someone who will..." Lucy muttered, eyes flickering to Natsu.

Zeref and Natsu joined the potluck, which was really more of a party since Cana spiked the drinks and everyone got a little riled up. But when the buzz wore off and everyone settled down (as much as they could), everyone took a seat at one of the many tables crowding the tavern that was crammed full of classic Thanksgiving dishes. Mavis stood up on the bar to make an announcement.

"Alright everyone! Before we dig in, let's go around and say what we're thankful for!" she called, "Let's start with our guests, the Dragneel Brothers!"

All eyes turned on them and Zeref and Natsu swapped looks before speaking.

"We're thankful that we have such an amazing family."

* * *

 **A/N: Hope this was good. Gosh, my cheeks hurt from smiling. This chapter makes me happy :) :) :) Look how happy I am :) :) :) :)**

 _ **Next chapter:**_

 _ **Fall**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ah. The dreaded third chapter.** **I'm sorry in advance. This one is going to stink. I literally had NO ideas for this one T-T And it's going to be much shorter then the others.**

 **...**

 _Day 3:_ Fall

…

The leaves on the trees of Mildian had turned to a spectrum of reds, oranges, and yellows and were now beginning to fall. The Dragneel household was just beginning to stir as the sun crept over the horizon. The lawn of their house was covered in a thick blanket of red, orange, and yellow that stirred lightly as the front door opened and a nine-year-old boy with sakura pink hair sprinted out and flung himself on the lawn and happily made a leaf-angel as another thirteen-year-old boy with raven black hair followed him out, with two rakes in his hands.

"Natsu, we have to rake the leaves." Zeref said.

The pink haired boy whinned. "But Onii-chan…!"

"No buts Natsu." Zeref scolded, handing him the rake, "If we do it now, we don't have to do it later."

Natsu took the rake and sat up. "Can we jump in the pile afterwards?"

The black haired teen chuckled. "Sure."

The pile of leaves had been halfway completely when a nine-year-old blonde girl came sprinting up the drive. Natsu looked up and flashed a toothy smile at the girl.

"Lucy!"

Zeref stopped raking the leaves and met the chocolate gaze of his little brother's best friend.

"Good morning Lucy. How are you?"

Lucy stood at the edge before the lawn, breathing like she had ran the whole way.

"Good. I'm good." she breathed, "Hey, there's a festival in the park today. And I was wondering if you guys wanted to come with me."

Zeref regretted looking at his little brother, who was pulling his secret technique: the puppy-dog pout. The black haired teen sighed and faced the doe-eyed blonde girl.

"Sure. We'll be there in a few hours."

Lucy's face lit up and smiled brightly. "Great! See you there!"

Lucy disappeared down the drive and when the blonde-haired girl was out of sight, Natsu started tearing through the leaves with new vigor until the lawn was clear. Zeref went into the house and told their parents where they were going. But when he came back, Natsu was practically bursting with anticipation. So much in fact that he sprinted down the drive as soon as Zeref came out of the house.

"Natsu, slow down!"

"Speed up Onii-chan!" Natsu called over his shoulder.

The park was alive with swarms of people. Natsu quickly disappeared into the churning sea of people. Zeref had a hard time tracking the sakura haired boy, but eventually found him sitting next to Lucy, who was dressed fairly nicely.

"Natsu! Don't run off like that."

The nine-year-old turned to face Zeref. "Sorry Onii-chan."

They got things sorted out, Lucy pulled them to a game of three-legged race. Well, Natsu and Lucy wanted to have Zeref in it with them and ended up entering with a four-legged race.

"Um...are you sure this is a good idea?" Zeref said, uneasily.

Natsu grinned up at him. "Sure it is! It'll be fun!"

That didn't help his confidence, but he didn't have time to back out when the race started. The two nine-year-olds on either of Zeref's sides tried to go forwards, but when Zeref tried to take a step with Natsu, they tumbled face-first into the grass. They came in last, but all three of them were laughing even if they had a collection of new scrapes and grass stains.

The Dragneel Brothers and Lucy visited the food booths and sampled all sorts of different fall themed food. Pumpkin pie, cinnamon hot chocolate, and candied pecans. Natsu smirked mischievously at Lucy and took a handful of his candied pecans.

"Hey Lushi!"

The blonde girl turned towards Natsu, and got a face full of pecans tossed at her. Natsu roared with laughter until Lucy huffed angrily before positioning her tiny hand under her plate of pumpkin pie.

"Natsu!" she teased.

Natsu stopped laughing and Lucy thrusted the desert into his face. The paper plate dropped to the grass, leaving behind a blotch of pumpkin pie and whipped cream on Natsu's face. Lucy shook with laughter and Zeref couldn't help but laugh too.

"Onii-chan!" Natsu scowled at his older brother.

The sakura haired boy scraped a clump of the pie off his face and smashed it into Zeref's. He tumbled backwards off the bench and his mug of hot chocolate fell out of his hand.

"Natsu! You're in big trouble you little stinker!" he laughed, tackling the boy and tickling him until he was crying with laughter.

Lucy leapt on Zeref's back suddenly. "Doggy pile on Natsu!"

"Lushi! Get off! You're heavy!" Natsu groaned.

"No I'm not!"

They unassembled their doggie pile and laughed until their sides hurt. Lucy looked down at her watch and frowned.

"What's wrong Luce?" Natsu asked.

"I have to go home now." she said sadly.

Natsu stood up. "We'll walk you home Lucy! Right Onii-chan?"

Zeref nodded and stood up. The trio walked down the sidewalk towards the Heartfillia residence. Lucy walked up her drive , but stopped to turn back and wave.

"Thanks for coming with me, I had fun!" she grinned.

The Dragneel Brothers waved back and walked home. As they passed under the streetlamp and Zeref noticed something orange in Natsu's hair.

"Hold on Natsu. I think you've got something in your hair."

He pulled out a large orange maple leaf out of Natsu's sakura hair and handed it to him. If the nine-year-old's smile could get any wider than his face would split in half.

"I'm going to keep this!" Natsu smiled, "Today was so fun, I want to remember it for a long time."

Zeref chuckled and rustled the little boy's hair.

"Me too Natsu. Me too."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry if this sucked. I had major writer's block with this one's theme.**

 _ **Next chapter:**_

 ** _Serenity_**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Day 4 already? WAHH! I need to pick up the pace on these one-shots, I still have about three more to write *panics!*.**

 **Enjoy more fluff :)**

 **...**

 _Day 4_ : Serenity

…

Thunder rumbled outside and rain beat against the windows in heavy sheets. The lamp on an oaken desk burned brightly as a ten-year-old Zeref sat, practically buried in a sea of papers. He had so much he needed to and wanted to get done for school that he lost track of time and was working well into the night. Another clap of thunder shook the house, accompanying the multiple bright flashes of lightning.

 _That's quite a storm._ Zeref noted, _I hope Natsu's able to sleep through it._

Zeref's seven-year-old brother, Natsu has a paralysing fear of thunder and lightning, but at the same time he's the heaviest sleeper Zeref's ever known. Natsu even puts their father to shame with how much he can sleep through. But there was the rare occasion that Natsu _didn't_ sleep through the storm.

This was one of those nights.

The door to the study creaked open, the draft making the fire in the fireplace flicker ominously. Zeref stopped writing and faced the door. Peaking out from behind the door was a head of sakura pink hair.

"O-Onii-chan?" Natsu squeaked.

"Yes Natsu?"

"C-Can I come in?"

Zeref was about to reply when a loud boom of thunder cut his off. The room rattled violently and some of his papers slid off the desk. Natsu screeched in terror and even Zeref jumped. Natsu didn't wait for his older brother's answer and ran into the room out of fear and hid under the desk, throwing his arms over his head.

If it had been anyone else, Zeref would most likely ignore such a sight, but Natsu was a different story. Zeref slid out of his chair and ducked his head under the desk.

"Natsu?" he asked softly.

"Onii-chan? Why is it so scary? Why is the thunder so scary?"

Zeref pondered for a moment. Truth be told, he didn't understand why the thunder was so scary to Natsu, but Natsu _did_ need to know it's okay.

"The thunder is Ankhseram. He gets angry sometimes and when he does, he stomps around and throws a big tantrum."

"I-Is Ankhseram angry with me?" Natsu whimpered.

Zeref's eyes widened, noticing his mistake. "No. No of course he's not angry at you. Ankhseram just has outbursts occasionally. Like you do."

Natsu removed his hands from his head and crossed them over his chest.

"I do _not_ have outbursts." he huffed.

Thunder crashed again overhead and Natsu threw his head again, eyes screwed tightly shut in fright.

"I can't sleep through this!" the boy whimpered, "It's too loud and scary!"

Zeref wanted to help Natsu sleep, but he did have work to get done. The two sides of him were fighting each other over this decision. His studious side told him to continue his work and let Natsu calm down on his own. He'd drift to sleep eventually and he needed to learn how to deal with his fears. Not that Zeref didn't mind helping him, but Natsu needed to grow up to be able to face it alone because Zeref wasn't always going to be there to comfort him when a thunder storm hits. But his brotherly side told him to help Natsu sleep through the storm. The work _could_ wait. It's not like it was going anywhere and he was about a week ahead of the curve and Zeref had a pit of doubt in his stomach that Natsu _wouldn't_ be able to sleep through this storm.

And thus, his brotherly side won.

Zeref smiled softly. "How about we read that story you like? The one with the wizards? Maybe it can help you get to sleep."

The seven-year-old's face brightened and he came out from under the desk. Zeref pulled the thick leather bound book off the shelf and sat down on the rug before the fireplace with Natsu and opened the well-worn novel.

It was a long tale about a group of wizards who went on never-ending adventures. A man who had a habit of striping and power over ice, a woman with hair red as a sunset and the unique ability to change her weapons and clothes, another woman who could bring the stars to earth, and the last one was a man with the strength and power of a dragon. He was Natsu's favorite character.

The storm raging overhead faded into nothing but background noise, overshadowed by the amazing adventures the wizards had. From a cursed flute that could kill people by the droves to a frozen demon on a cursed island to a guild seeped in jealousy and blood-lust to a tower in the middle of the ocean with the power to raise the dead.

The wizards came home to a festival that took a frightening turn. They joined forces with other wizards to defeat a dark guild and their scheme to use an ancient magic to destroy the world. They gained a new friend and travelled to a foreign dimension where magic was lacking.

With each new story, they became more and more absorbed by the webbing of words. Zeref even almost stopped reading a few times because he wanted to keep going himself. The adventures went on and the brothers were so captivated by the intricate story to notice that they had drifted into a peaceful sleep together before the fireplace with the storm raging overhead nothing more than a distant thought.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Fluff, fluff, fluffity fluff. Bet you guys caught that the story they were reading was a parallel to the manga :)**

 **Gahh! I love writing these two as brothers who aren't trying to kill each other. It almost makes my heart as happy as when I write my NaLu fanfic :)**

 **Hope you enjoyed the fluff chapters because now it's going to get dark, so brace yourselves and I'm sorry ahead of time because I know you all are going to want to kill me after the next chapter.**

 _ **Next chapter:**_

 _ **Sacrifice**_


	5. Chapter 5 WARNING: Depressing!

**A/N: I don't think you all are going to like me very much after this chapter. I already got a 'death threat' (quotations because I know it doesn't mean anything. Or at least I hope it doesn't O-O) from darkhuntressxir and I know I'm going to get a lot more after this. I'm sorry ahead of time. This is going to be very depressing.**

 **Enjoy!**

…

 _Chapter 5:_ Sacrifice

…

Christmas break was right around the corner. Snow blanketed Mildian and cheerful holiday lights hung from the gutters of every building and from the branches of every tree. The cool, crisp air bit at Natsu's nose, making him retreat deeper into his white scale-patterned scarf. With the holidays so close, he had some shopping to do before the rush got too bad. The sakura-haired teen had put it off long enough and decided to get it done and out of the way before it became too much of a hastle.

Luckily, he only had two people he needed to shop for. His best friend, Lucy Heartfillia and his older brother, Zeref. Both of which he could get a gift for at the same store, since Lucy and Zeref were both major bookworms. They had different tastes in novels, but they both loved books so much that they're rooms were comparable to miniature libraries.

The bookstore door chimed its little tune when Natsu opened it, blasting him in the face with relieving warm air. After stomping the snow off his boots, Natsu strolled over to the science memoires and picked out on for Zeref that centered around the origins of magic called: "The One Magic". It was by some guy named Precht Grimoire and Zeref liked reading and picking apart his work for projects. When the new book came out, he was talking nonstop about it.

One down and one to go.

Lucy was just as easy. She loved her cheesy romance novels and was currently hooked on a series called "The Curse of Contradiction", centering around a cursed boy and girl who fell in love but couldn't be together. Too sappy for Natsu's taste, but he had to admit the plot was clever.

The sakura-haired teen quickly picked out the book and payed, requesting to have the books wrapped separately, the romance novel in pink for Lucy and the science memoir in black for Zeref, and left the store.

The snowfall had stopped, which Natsu was thankful for, but at the same time the area was quiet. Too quiet. Then that quiet was shattered when a terrified shriek cut through the air. And it was a loud bang. Gunfire.

Natsu immediately dropped the wrapped books and sprinted towards the sound. When he rounded the corner, he froze in shock. Three large men were facing down a teenage couple. A girl with long blonde hair and a boy with raven-black hair. Natsu recognized them on the spot. His brother and his friend, Mavis were being attacked by some very angry looking men, and even Natsu could see that Zeref had been shot in the shoulder from the way he was clutching it.

The first man, holding the gun and a fat cigar in his mouth stepped towards the injured teen confidently. "I'll give you one more chance boy. Give us the girl or we put a bullet through both of y'er heads."

Zeref growled. "I already gave you my answer. Mavis beat you fair and square so stop being such sore losers about it."

The man growled pointed the gun at Zeref. "Miserable brat!"

Before anyone even knew what was happening, the gun safety released. It cocked…

…

…

...and fired.

…

...

...But the bullet didn't hit Zeref

…

…

...It hit the sakura-haired teen who jumped in between.

Natsu spat out a clot of blood after the sharp stab of pain subsided and delivered a bone-crushing punch to the man who fired the gun. The man fell, cigar flying out of his mouth and landing neatly in the snowbank. Natsu's onyx gaze locked onto the other two men, who soon were fleeing in terror, dragging their boss behind them.

When they were gone, Natsu collapsed, crimson red staining the pure white snow around him as blood flowed out of the bullet wound next to his heart. The sounds around him were muddled, but he could hear Mavis fumbling with numb fingers for her phone and dialed 911, relating what happened and demanding a medic get sent down right now.

Natsu could sense Zeref standing behind him, his older brother's wide-eyed gaze locked on him and the growing red puddle that flowed from the hole in Natsu's chest through his winter jacket as his breaths became more and more labored.

"A...Are you...okay...Onii-chan?" Natsu forced out.

Zeref broke out of his trance and dropped down next to Natsu, rolling him on his back and vigorously trying to stop the bleeding using his scarf to apply pressure to the wound.

"Why are you asking _me_ if _I'm_ okay when _you_ were the one that got shot!?" he asked, voice full of panic.

"Be...cause I'm...your...brother." he muttered weakly, "So...someone's gotta…look out...for y'ah."

Natsu forced his usual toothy smile as his breath became more shallow. Zeref cursed under his breath.

"Mavis! How long on the ambulance!?"

"T-They said it would be here in ten minutes!"

"That's ten minutes too late, dam it. He's doesn't have ten minutes!" Zeref shouted, tears pooling behind his eyes.

"I...It's okay...Onii-chan…"

"No Natsu. It's _not_ okay. You're dying, and it's because of _me_."

Natsu chuckled under his breath. "No...I'm like...this...be...cause I...got in...the...way...so stop...kickin' your...self Onii-chan."

Gradually the sakura-haired teen's onyx eyes began to dim and close, the world gradually fading out into inviting darkness.

"No no no no. Natsu. Don't close your eyes. Stay with me! Please!" the black-haired teen begged, but his voice sounded farther and father away until it went silent entirely...

...

Natsu didn't respond. His eyes had closed completely and his chest stopped moving. Zeref frantically checked for a pulse, but found none. Quietly, he sobbed beside the cold corpse of his little brother as it lay among the red snow. Just then, tiny snowflakes began to flutter from the sky...

* * *

 **A/N: I have a pit of sadness in my heart from this. I just killed one of my favorite characters. But this isn't as sad as my first version of this One-shot (had to write this 3 times). That's going to be used in a different One-shot I'll post later called "How I don't want Fairy Tail to End".**

 **If you read it, brace for tears 'cause it made me cry and I wrote it.**

 **The next chapter won't be nearly as depressing. Hopefully.**

 _ **Next Chapter:**_

 _ **Curse**_


	6. Chapter 6 Warning: Still Depressing!

**A/N: This one isn't going to be as depressing as the last chapter. Hopefully. No promises. I'm still sorry T-T**

 **This is going to be really sloppy. Once again, no inspiration. So now Natsu and Zeref are an archeologist duo searching through Egypt to find the lost tomb of Queen Mavis the Great…**

 **I legit have no idea where this concept came from -_-"**

 **Sorry if they're a bit OOC, my ability to characterize has been completely shot. That's what I get for staying up until almost 2 am watching anime...**

 **Enjoy!**

...

 _Chapter 6:_ Curse

The sun beat harshly overhead, making sweat bead on Natsu's brow. He didn't feel the dry heat of the Sahara but his body sure did. He groaned frustratedly and shifted around in the camel saddle, which was exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Zeref-nii, why are we here again?" Natsu grumbled.

His older, and smarter brother looked back at him and sighed.

"I got a lead on the the location of the tomb of Egypt's Lost Pharaoh, Mavis the Great."

Natsu sweat-dropped. "Aren't pharaohs usually dudes?"

"Most of them, but Mavis was a brilliant pharaoh even if she had an unfortunately short reign." Zeref explained, excitement lacing his voice, "I just hope that this isn't another dead end."

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to wander around in the blazing heat of the desert for nothing for the fifth time this month." Natsu grumbled sarcastically.

Natsu's brother, Zeref was an archeologist. He loved all kinds of ancient things from any country. It was a running joke between the two that Zeref liked anything that had dust on it. Natsu usually got dragged on his expositions to whatever country his older brother was traveling to next, whether it be Greece, Italy, India, China, the Middle East, or (most frequently) Egypt, Natsu usually tagged along whether he wanted to or not. And he usually did not. The last place that the saura-haired man wanted to be was an underground room full of either dusty or dead things or both. He falled to see what was so appealing about this stuff, but he learned not to ask unless he was having trouble sleeping.

So during these expositions Natsu was normally much more sarcastic and crude than usual.

Suddenly both camels lurched forward, tossing their riders and baggage before turning tail and running. Before Natsu could even make a sarcastic remark about their predicament...Zeref was examining a rock.

Big surprise there.

"Um...why are you examining that rock so closely?" Natsu asked.

"Because, this isn't an ordinary rock, Natsu."

"Ooh! Is it a super rock that can give you superpowers!?" he asked, excitedly.

"No. It's perfectly symmetrical and rocks are never naturally this symmetrical."

Natsu deflated, disappointed that there would be no superpowers and plopped down in the sand. Or that's what he wanted to do. Instead the ground caved in beneath him and he landed hard on his back. The sakura-haired man groaned in pain before Zeref's head popped into the hole above him.

"Natsu! Are you okay?"

"Just peachy." Natsu grumbled, "It's not like I fell 8 feet onto solid limestone or anything like that."

Zeref rolled his eyes. "Just hang on, I'll be right down."

Moments later, the end a rope fell down the hole and Zeref repelled down it. The raven-haired man looked down at his younger brother, who was still laying on his back.

"Can you stand up?"

"Yeah. I think." Natsu said, "The floor is cold though, it's feels nice."

"It _is_ unusually cold down here." Zeref noted, taking out a pocket flashlight and shining it around the large room.

The walls were decorated with hieroglyphic writing and pictures and statues of Egyptian gods stood guard next to the archways, over which a familiar cartouche above it. The name 'Mavis' was written in it along with a few other words that Natsu couldn't understand, but was sure that his scholar of a brother could.

"We actually found it." Zeref mumbled, "The tomb of Queen Mavis."

"That was a lucky break."

Natsu sat up and glanced around the room. Normally, he would be all for exploring this place but something felt...sinister about it. He was about to voice his thoughts to his brother when he found that he was no longer there, but entering the archway.

Natsu stood up and followed him, but hesitated at the threshold.

"Zeref-nii! Are you sure we should be poking around?" Natsu called.

"I'm just scoping to see how far it goes. I won't touch anything." Zeref called back.

Natsu sighed, debating whether or not to follow him, but over all decided to.

"Does something feel...I don't know...wrong here?" Natsu asked.

"Now that you mention it, something _does_ feel off. There's an almost sinister air clinging to this place…"

As the two brothers continued both sensed a presence behind them. Both turned around time to time, but found nothing was behind them but the way they came.

Natsu opened his mouth to say that they should turn back, when the distinct cracking of stone reached his ears. Acting on instinct, Natsu pulled Zeref back in time for him not to be crushed by an arch's sudden collapse. Both brothers froze, eyes locked on the pile of five hundred pound limestone.

"T-Thank you Natsu." Zeref said, almost distantly.

"No problem." he mumbled, wetting his suddenly dry lips, "I think it might be best if we turn back."

"This is sudden. Normally you're the one that would dive head-first into this sort of thing." Zeref jeered.

"I know. I'm not usually cautious adventurer type, am I?"

"Not typically."

"Something's just been buggin' me since we got here and it doesn't feel too friendly." Natsu hummed, "I'm not one to make smart calls, but I'm pretty sure that arches aren't meant to crumble when someone's about to walk under it unless someone makes it."

"Are you saying that someone else is already here?"

"More like _something_."

Zeref snorted. "Are you saying that this place is cursed?"

"I wouldn't rule that out. You can feel the sinister presence too can't you?"

Zeref sighed in defeat. "Yes, I can. And although I'd like to say that there's no such thing as curses, my instincts are telling me that isn't the case."

The raven-haired man turned back towards the exit.

"Let's go."

The brothers turned to exit through the archway, but before they reached it the room began to tremble violently. Zeref was first to lose his balance and Natsu was struggling to stay upright. Then, the room abruptly stopped shaking.

Natsu glanced around the room. "That was weird. What was that? Some kind of earthquake?"

Zeref stood up and dust off his cargo pants.

"I don't know, but we should leave before we become permanent residents."

They hastily passed under the archway, half-expecting it to cave-in like the other one did, but fortune seemed to be smiling on them, until they realized that nothing looked familiar.

"How is this possible? There were only two archways in that room, so we _couldn't_ have taken a wrong turn." Zeref muttered half to himself as he shone his flashlight around the room.

Natsu groaned and sank to the floor against one of the walls.

"We're lost aren't we?"

"...Unfortunately."

Natsu facepalmed, grumbling about how they should have stayed home today while Zeref skimmed the glyphics on the walls.

"...Natsu. I think you may have been correct about the curse."

"Huh? I was?"

Zeref nodded, not taking his eyes off the line of hieroglyphs. "This line here says: 'For he who disturbs the tomb of the cursed girl, will suffer the same fate as she'."

"So, you're sayin' that Queen Mavis was cursed?" Natsu asked raising a speculating eyebrow, "I thought you didn't believe in curses Onii-chan."

"I didn't, but I think I'm starting to. It would explain why we're suddenly lost."

Natsu was about to speak when suddenly it felt like the words had been taken right out of his mouth. No, more like the air had been stolen from his lungs. When he tried to stand, his legs gave out from under him and he fell back to the floor, laboring for air and completely unable to move.

Zeref wasn't spared either and quickly subcame to the same condition as Natsu. And the world faded out, but not before both brothers felt a heavy presence in the center of the room.

…

Natsu's consciousness returned to him in the form of someone poking at his cheek. It was a light touch, but it was repetitive and relentless, making it heavily annoying. His onyx eyes snapped open and he bolted upright, startling the person who was poking him.

"Would'ya quit pokin' me!?"

A young girl with extremely long blonde hair shrank back at the harshness in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry! I was checking to see if you were still alive."

"You couldn't just check my pulse or something?"

"..."

Natsu sighed. "Nevermind. I'm sorry I snapped at you, but have you seen my brother? He's a bit shorter than me, black hair, really likes dusty junk..?"

"It isn't junk Natsu, they are historical relics that should be preserved and respected. I've told you this a million times."

Natsu didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

"Glad to see that you're okay Onii-chan." Natsu turned back to the girl who was poking him earlier, "I'm Natsu by the way. Natsu Dragneel. And that's my bookworm brother, Zeref. What's your name?"

"My name is Mavis. Queen Mavis of Egypt."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"WHAT!?"

"But that can't be possible!" Zeref exclaimed in shock, "Queen Mavis died over a thousand years ago."

Mavis's expression darkened.

"You should never have come looking for my tomb." she whispered, her voice breaking slightly, "Now Ankhseram will curse you with the same fate as me."

The air turned dark and ice cold as a harsh wind stirred dust around the room. As the dust flew, some of it clung to something around Mavis's wrists. More dust stuck to it, giving it shape and definition until Natsu could see exactly what it was.

Chains.

He looked down and his heart stopped with shock.

When he looked at his brother, Zeref had the same expression.

Clasped around both of their wrists, was a set of chains that were identical to Mavis's. Where they lead, he wasn't too keen on finding out, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that this was nothing good.

"What's going on?" Zeref asked.

Mavis smiled sadly. "Welcome to the realm of the Cursed. Dragneel Brothers."

…

 **A/N: Still dark, huh? Yeah. I promise the next chapter will be as fluffy as the first four. I am REALLY sorry if this one sucked, because I had no idea how to execute this one.**

 _ **Next Chapter:**_

 _ **Immortality**_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Last chapter! Phew. It's been a long winding road, but Dragneel Brother's Week has come to an end. Ha ha. Get it? E.N.D.? Yeah. I hate those jokes too. Thank you to all of you who have stuck with me through my crappy One-shots.**

 **Now hopefully I'll get back to writing "Finding His Wings" and I can get my super long chapter 15 out :)**

 **I'm doing a different concept than most of the others. A few days ago I looked up "immortality" and another definition was "fame" so that's what I'm doing.**

 **Enjoy my last (and fluffy) one-shot!**

 **Another Modern High school AU!**

…

Chapter 7: Immortality

…

Soft, clear notes rang gently through the hall. If anyone was walking by at the time, they would have stopped and just listened to the deep, hearty music. And if Natsu told them that that sound came from just a single instrument, not many would believe him.

Natsu strolled through the abandoned hallways at a leisurely pace, just enjoying the music that echoed off the tile until he arrived at a door that was left slightly ajer. Natsu peaked inside the room and inside was a solitary chair and music stand. At the music stand was a teen with raven-black hair, on his shoulder was a wooden instrument.

At first glance, people would think that he was playing a violin, but it was a viola. Anyone who called it a violin in Zeref's presence got a two hour lecture about the differences between the two string instruments. Natsu knew this very well.

Natsu pushed the door open and bluntly walked in.

"Yo Onii-chan. How's your piece coming?"

The raven-haired teen jumped violently, almost dropping his precious instrument.

"Natsu! I told you to knock!" Zeref protested.

The sakura-haired teen shrugged, "I wanted to tell you lunch is almost done."

Zeref sighed and began packing up his viola, gently tucking the music sheets in the bottom of the case. Natsu leaned casually against the door frame.  
"Why do you write your own music when you don't even play it for others?" Natsu asked.

Zeref sighed. "I don't have the same confidence as you do Natsu. I love playing music but I don't have the courage to play it in front of people."

Natsu 'hmph'ed to himself, a sly smile creeping on his face, unbenounced to his older brother. He had schemed time and again to get his older brother to play in front of others. However, when your brother has a stage-fright to end all stage-frights, it's a challenge. One Natsu has never succeeded at, but never gave up on either.

The sakura-haired teen had long since lost track of how many times he'd tried to get Zeref to play in even privately for just some of his closest friends, but not once did he succeed.

Once Zeref had finished packing, they exited the small practice room as the bell rang and they separated for classes.

…

The final school bell rang and Natsu met Lucy outside the classroom as usual. Since Zeref took extra classes, Natsu walked home with Lucy which was a benefit because they lived in the same neighborhood. They walked passed the practice hall and Natsu subconsciously looked down the hall and Lucy noticed.

"Natsu? What're you looking at?"

He snapped back to attention. "Nothing."

Lucy peered around Natsu down the hall in interest.

"Wasn't that the old practice room hall for the orchestra?" she inquired.

Natsu nodded.

"Why were you looking down there? You don't seem like the classical type." she teased.

"I'm not, but my brother is."

"You mean Zeref?"

Natsu nodded. "He plays viola."

"Viola? Why not violin?"

He shrugged. "Onii-chan just liked it more."

Lucy tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, I've never heard him play before."

"Onii-chan has a major case of stage fright. He can't make himself play in front of others. I'll bet that he would be a very famous some day if he just overcame his stage fright."

"Is he that good?"

"He's been playing since our parents passed away. He had a real talent for it, but he didn't think he did so he never played in front of anyone but me."

Lucy nodded sympathetically. They walked in silence for a few feet before Natsu straitened up and grasped Lucy's shoulders suddenly.

"Lucy! Could you help me with something?"

"W-What? You're not asking me to help you prank Gray again are you?"

"No. Well, maybe later, but this is better." Natsu said, "I've got a plan to get Zeref-nii to play in front of people, but I'll need your help."

…

The next day, everything was normal. The morning lessons went by as usual and then lunch rolled around. Zeref sneaked off to his usual practice room and continued composing his piece. It was almost finished and it was his best piece yet. He spent the better part of the lunch period practicing his piece. Then Natsu entered.

"Onii-chan, lunch is almost over." he announced.

Zeref nodded and started packing up his viola. Natsu leaned against the doorframe like usual, silent for a moment, until he spoke up.

"So...almost finished with your latest piece?" Natsu asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

The raven-haired teen nodded.

"It actually is done. I'll probably run through it tomorrow just to see how it sounds and maybe make some final adjustments."

Natsu nodded. "Cool."

Zeref didn't know was what was going on inside the sakura-haired teen's head, but he had a sneaking suspicion that he was scheming again. He'll never learn.

…

It was the next day and Zeref had finished practicing. Strangely, Natsu hadn't payed a visit like usual until just a few moments before the bell rang. Natsu made an excuse that he had lost track of time because Lucy was helping him study, but Zeref wasn't sure whether or not he bought it.

…

The next school day, everyone was talking excitedly. Zeref wasn't sure what they were talking about, but it didn't take him long to find out when his closest friend Mavis came skipping up to him, emerald green eyes shining.

"Have you heard, Zeref?" she asked, excitedly.

The raven-haired teen blinked dumbly. "Heard what?"

Mavis rolled her eyes. "Yesterday a new channel came up on YouTube called 'Spriggan Music'. Apparently, he's an anonymous viola player."

This peaked Zeref's interest. "'Viola player'?"

"Yeah! I'll show you right now!"

Mavis pulled out her phone and pulled up the video. The background was a line of music notes in different styles that shifted color and shape every few seconds as the song played. The song is what really grabbed Zeref's attention.

It was his song. The song he had just finished yesterday.

But that's impossible! Zeref exclaimed mentally, I just finished it yesterday, and the only one who knew was…

Without a word, Zeref stormed off down the hall towards the cafe where Natsu was sitting with his friends, laughing up a storm. Zeref was about to interrupt when the redhead, Erza started talking.

"So you had Lucy record your brother playing without him knowing and posted it on YouTube?" she asked, some disapproval in her voice.

"Well, I wouldn't get him to any other way." Natsu shrugged.

"That's kinda low, even for you ash-head." Gray chipped in, "Recording him without his permission and putting it on YouTube on top of that?"

"I didn't do it for me Gray." Natsu scowled, "Onii-chan's got a real talent, and I may be an idiot, but even I can understand that he may never get over his stage fright. Music is his passion and it isn't fair to anyone if he and I are the only ones enjoying the music he makes."

"So y'ah took it into your own hands and put him out there, but anonymously so no one but you and Bunny Girl know who he is." Gajeel summarized, "Gotta admit, that's smart."

"Yeah, and so far, he's a hit." Lucy commented, looking at her phone, "It was posted yesterday and it already has half a million views and almost as many likes."

Erza pulled Natsu into a surprise hug. "I'm very proud of you Natsu. You may have been too direct, but I'm sure Zeref will appreciate your consideration."

Zeref finally unfroze and walked up behind Natsu. All conversation at the table stopped when his presence was acknowledged. Natsu, being slow as he was, was the last to notice his older brother's presence. The sakura-haired teen turned around stiffly.

"Hey, O-Onii-chan." he strained, "How've you been?"

Zeref's expression was dark and he lightly whacked Natsu on the head.

"Idiot. Next time you want to record my music, just ask. Don't do it in secret."

Natsu looked surprised. "So, you aren't mad Lucy and I recorded you and put it on YouTube?"

"Oh, I'm mad. But thankful at the same time. Thank you Natsu."

Natsu grinned widely, "No problem."

…

Three months passed since then and "Spriggan Music" became increasingly popular until it had over three hundred thousand subscribers, the number growing in droves every day. Zeref still had stage-fright, but he was happy that his little brother thought of a way around it and let him share his music with the world.

There were times he worried that he wasn't going to be well received, but his music was very popular. Around the school, students were talking about Spriggan and how he was probably going to become an internet sensation by the end of the year.

Natsu had been right though, his music was going to stay in people's hearts forever.

…

 **A/N: Hopefully this was a good ending. If you're wondering why I made him a violist instead of a violinist, it's because I play viola myself and I don't think it gets enough credit. Besides. Violin is too mainstream.**

 **This is the end of my Dragneel Brother's Week One-shots. I hope you enjoyed it :)**


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